Ian Donnis

Political Reporter

Ryan T. Conaty

Ian Donnis has been the political reporter for Rhode Island Public Radio since 2009. The Washington Post has called him one of Rhode Island’s best political reporters. Besides reporting, Ian tweets at @IanDon, hosts RIPR’s weekly Political Roundtable, and contributes to the station’s On Politics blog.

Ways to Connect

State Rep. Patricia Morgan (R-West Warwick), the new minority leader in the Rhode Island House, joins Political Roundtable this week to discuss charter schools and what's next for the House GOP caucus under her leadership.

A New York developer is scaling back his proposal for a three-tower development in the I-195 District. Jason Fane wants state officials to move quickly to support a single 43-story residential tower in the district. Fane said he hopes to develop two additional towers in future phases, depending on the level of market demand. In a statement, Fane says the single tower would catalyze other new uses in the 195 District. “This is a special opportunity for the state and city’s leadership to jump...

Governor Gina Raimondo took part a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday to mark the start of the first development utilizing the state's Rebuild RI tax credit. The Commons at Providence Station will create 169 apartments on 2.85 acres of vacant land near the Providence train station. The project is utilizing a $5.6 million Rebuild RI tax credit and a 15-year tax stabilization agreement with the City of Providence. Raimondo hailed the development as a sign of positive momentum in the state,...

Michigan was the scene of the tightest race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, with Clinton losing by less than 11,000 votes. It was a state that had been considered part of the Democrats’ firewall, until it fell to Trump. The head of Clinton’s Michigan campaign, Stephen Neuman, was previously chief of staff for Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. Neuman stopped by our studio to talk about his experience in Michigan.

Just a few weeks remain until 2017, a year bound to be filled with political drama. Thanks for stopping by for my weekly column. As usual, your tips and comments are welcome , and you can follow me through the week on the twitters . Here we go. 1. The gloves came off this week in a dispute between Providence Journal editorial page editor Edward Achorn and RI GOP Chairman Brandon Bell . The ball got rolling with a sharply worded editorial in Monday's ProJo -- headlined, " RI's Pathetic...

State Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor joins Political Roundtable to discuss the high-rise residential towers proposed in the I-195 District and the level of development activity in the state-controlled zone.

Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor joins Bonus Q&A to discuss the status of some high-profile projects, the effectiveness of state incentives, the outlook on working with the Trump administration, and much more.

State Treasurer Seth Magaziner is calling on the Trump administration to keep financial regulations put in place after the Great Recession. Magaziner outlines his view in a letter to Trump’s designated Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin President-elect Trump threatened during the campaign to undo parts of the 2010 measure known as the Dodd-Frank Act. The law created new oversight for financial institutions and was supposed to protect consumers from risky lending practices. Magaziner said...

Republican Steven Frias, who came close to toppling House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello in his state representative district in Cranston, announced Tuesday that he's dropped his challenge to the outcome of the race. "After five months of being focused on this race, it is time for me to concede the election," Frias said in a statement. The state Board of Elections is slated Tuesday evening to certify votes in the race between Mattiello and Frias. Frias won the initial machine vote count by a 147...

With Democrats still reeling from their losses in the election earlier this month, Congressman David Cicilline and Jim Langevin continue to support Nancy Pelosi as the minority leader in the US House of Representatives. Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan is challenging Pelosi, arguing that fresh leadership is needed to help move Democrats forward. A vote is scheduled for Wednesday. Rhode Island's two congressmen are sticking with Pelosi, who has led House Democrats for more than 12 years. "She is a...

Your faithful correspondent took most of this week off, in large part to rake leaves, so this week's column is a bit abbreviated. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for stopping by. As usual, your tips and comments are welcome , and you can follow me through the week on the twitters . Here we go. 1. Governor Gina Raimondo continues to draw sharply contrasting reactions as she reaches the mid-point of her four-year term. Wall Street Journal editorial writer Allysia Finley , a long-time Raimondo fan...

State Rep-elect Ken Mendonca (R-Portsmouth) joins Political Roundtable to discuss his election to the House, and how Governor Gina Raimondo is doing at mid-term. Plus, the panel's picks for Turkeys of the Year, and stories for which we were thankful.

State Rep-elect Ken Mendonca joins Bonus Q&A to discuss his top legislative goal, why truck tolls were not influential as an election issue, whether President-elect Trump should do more to repudiate hate groups, and more.